EXTRACTS

FROM THE

DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE

OF THE LATE

AMOS LAWRENCE;

WITH A

Brief Account of Some Incidents in his Life.

EDITED BY HIS SON,

WILLIAM R. LAWRENCE, M. D.

———

BOSTON:
G O U L D  A N D  L I N C O L N,
59 WASHINGTON STREET.

NEW YORK: SHELDON, LAMPORT & BLAKEMAN.
LONDON: TRUBNER & CO.
1856.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by

WILLIAM R. LAWRENCE,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts

BOSTON:
Stereotyped by
HOBART & ROBBINS,
New England Type and Stereotype Foundery.

———
Press of George C. Rand & Avery.

To his

ONLY SURVIVING BROTHER,

A M O S   A.   L A W R E N C E,
OF BOSTON,

This Volume is Affectionately Inscribed,

BY
THE EDITOR.

PREFACE.

Among the papers of the late Amos Lawrence were found copies of a large number of letters addressed to his children.

With the hope that the good counsels there given, during a succession of years, extending from their childhood to adult age, might still be made profitable to their descendants, he had caused them to be carefully preserved.

These letters, as well as an irregular record of his daily experience, were scattered through many volumes, and required arrangement before they could be of use to those for whom they were intended.

As no one else of the immediate family could conveniently undertake the task, the editor considered it his duty to do that which could not properly be committed to one less nearly connected with the deceased.

The present volume, containing what was thought most interesting among those letters and extracts, was accordingly prepared for private circulation; and an edition of one hundred copies was printed and distributed among the nearest relatives and friends.

It has been thought by many that the record of such a life as is here portrayed would be useful to other readers, and especially to young men,—a class in whom Mr. Lawrence was deeply interested, and with whom circumstances in his own life had given him a peculiar bond of sympathy.

Although many, among both friends and strangers, have urged the publication of the present memorial, and some have even questioned the moral right of withholding from the view of others the light of an example so worthy of imitation, much hesitation has been felt in submitting to the public the recital of such domestic incidents as are treasured in the memory of every family; those incidents which cast a sunbeam or a shadow across every fireside, and yet possess little or no interest for the busy world without.

At the solicitation of the "Boston Young Men's Christian Union," the "Boston Young Men's Christian Association," and the students of Williams College, through their respective committees, and at the request of many esteemed citizens, the pages which were prepared for the eye of kindred and friends alone are now submitted to the public. Personal feeling is forgotten in the hope that the principles here inculcated may tend to promote the ends for which the subject of this memorial lived and labored.

The interest manifested in his life, and the tributes rendered to his memory, have been a source of sincere gratification to his family; and they would here tender their acknowledgments to all those who have expressed their interest and their wishes in regard to this publication.

The present volume is submitted with a few unimportant omissions, and with the addition of some materials, received after the issue of the first edition, which will throw light upon the character and principles of Mr. Lawrence during his early business career.

His course was that of a private citizen, who took but little part in public measures or in public life.

To the general reader, therefore, there may be but little to amuse in a career so devoid of incident, and so little connected with the stirring events of his times; but there cannot fail to be something to interest those who can appreciate the spirit which, in this instance, led to a rare fidelity in the fulfilment of important trusts, and the consecration of a life to the highest duties.

Mr. Lawrence was eminently a religious man, and a deep sense of accountability may be discovered at the foundation of those acts of beneficence, which, during his lifetime, might have been attributed to a less worthy motive.

It has been the object of the editor to allow the subject of this memorial to tell his own story, and to add merely what is necessary to preserve the thread of the narrative, or to throw light upon the various matters touched upon in the correspondence.

It is designed to furnish such materials as will afford a history of Mr. Lawrence's charitable efforts, rather than give a detailed account of what was otherwise an uneventful career.

Such selections from his correspondence are made as seemed best adapted to illustrate the character of the man; such as exhibit his good and valuable traits, without attempting to conceal those imperfections, an exemption from which would elevate him above the common sphere of mortals.

Most of his letters are of a strictly private nature, and involve the record of many private details. His domestic tastes, and his affection for his family, often led him to make mention of persons and events in such a way that few letters could be wholly given without invading the precincts of the family circle.

The engraving at the commencement of the volume is from an original portrait, by Harding, in the possession of the editor, a copy of which hangs in the library of Williams College.

It seems also fitting to include a portrait of the Hon. Abbott Lawrence, who, for forty-three years, was so intimately associated with the subject of this memorial in all the trials, as well as in the triumphs, of business life, and who was still more closely connected by the bonds of fraternal affection and sympathy. A few days only have elapsed since he was removed from the scene of his earthly labors.

The grave has rarely closed over one who to such energy of character and strength of purpose united a disposition so gentle and forbearing. Amidst the perplexities attending his extended business relations, and in the excitement of the political struggles in which he was called to take part, he was never tempted to overstep the bounds of courtesy, or to regard his opponents otherwise than with feelings of kindness.

His wealth was used freely for the benefit of others, and for the advancement of all those good objects which tended to promote the welfare of his fellow-men.

That divine spark of charity, which burned with such ceaseless energy in the bosom of his elder brother, was caught up by him, and exhibited its fruits in those acts of munificence which will make him long remembered as a benefactor of his race.

Boston, September 1st, 1855.

LETTERS,
REQUESTING PUBLICATION.

Rooms of the Boston Young Men's Christian Union,
6 Bedford-street, Boston, June 22, 1855.

William R. Lawrence, Esq.